(12 Sep 2025)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
San Francisco, California, US – 15 August 2025
1. Various of people playing mahjong at Mahjong Club party
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Yam, YLL Mahjong Club, sponsorship manager:
"We are a pop-up mahjong club here in San Francisco that hosts bi-weekly events, and we pop up in a variety of different restaurants, bars, and clubs in SF."
3. Exterior of Chinatown building where mahjong party is held
4. Various of people playing mahjong at Mahjong Club party
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Yam, YLL Mahjong Club, sponsorship manager:
"So we welcome people who have no experience at mahjong at all and we have TAs who teach the people how to play the game and they love it so much that they keep coming back and we’ve been growing from hosting events that first started with 50 to 80 guests now we’re hosting events with over 200 guests that are always selling out."
6. Various of people playing mahjong at Mahjong Club party
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Yam, YLL Mahjong Club, sponsorship manager:
"Right now, now YLL Mahjong Club also has pop-up events in LA and we’re going to different cities really soon."
8. Various of host introducing Nicole Wong, who is signing books at party
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicole Wong, author and founder of The Mahjong Project:
"The name of the game is that you are dealt a random mix of tiles and you have to connect them into sets and runs until you have like a complete hand and be the first person to do that. It’s a four-player game, you take turns drawing cards and discarding."
10. Various of people playing mahjong at Mahjong Club party
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicole Wong, author and founder of The Mahjong Project:
"It’s a really tactile game and it’s really a social game. It really easily builds community among people. I think also for the Asian American community, I think that there’s interest in connecting to your heritage and your culture in a way that was not the case when I was growing up when I was a kid."
12. DJ mixing music
13. Various of people playing mahjong at Mahjong Club party
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Ethan Vuong, mahjong player and instructor: "Honestly, I’ve made quite a few friends just playing the game here, and that kind of talks about how social mahjong can be, because again, it’s not just a skill or mechanics based game, it’s an expression of your personality, are you more withheld and try to be cautious, or are you trying to be more risky and play something exotic? You know, there’s different ways you can do it. And so, you can really reflect your personality, and it’s a great way to interact with people."
15. Various of bartender making drinks
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Avika Jindel, mahjong player:
"Yeah, I think it’s definitely an opportunity to kind of like put your phones away and just like play a classic board game type of game and just like talk to each other. So I think that’s definitely enticing and like part of the appeal."
17. Various of people playing mahjong at Mahjong Club party
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Avika Jindel, mahjong player:
"I think for sure, I think a lot of the people at the event are young, like fresh grads, and it’s definitely a way to meet other people in the community and get to know new people."
19. Various of people playing mahjong at Mahjong Club party
STORYLINE:
LEADIN:
Young Americans are leading a revival of the traditional Chinese game mahjong and new clubs catering for the craze are springing up in California.
STORYLINE:
Eventbrite reports a 179% increase in mahjong events between 2023 to 2024.
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